Boxing is largely resistant to upsets. Everyone remembers Buster Douglas and Mike Tyson. But there is usually a decisive favorite, and usually that favorite wins decisively.

As of Thursday, Golovkin was a slight favorite (minus-155), far from the consensus he once enjoyed.

Freddie Roach trained Miguel Cotto against Canelo and refuses to be swayed. He thinks Golovkin will win by knockout, maybe an early one.

“They’ve both got to come to fight,” Roach said. “That’s what this fight demands. If that’s what happens, Golovkin wins. Nobody today can cut the ring off like he can.”

But some trainers remember that Pernell Whitaker outboxed Julio Cesar Chavez in what was judged a draw, and Ray Leonard beat Thomas Hearns in the 14th round as Hearns led on the scorecards.

If it comes down to tactics and science, they like Canelo.

“I just think it’s his time,” said Manny Robles, who trains featherweight champion Oscar Valdez. “It’s the prime of Canelo’s career. They talk about Triple G and how he cuts off the ring, but Canelo knows how to fight moving backwards.

“And it can work the other way, too. What happens when Canelo backs up Triple G? He’s not used to that. We’ll see how he reacts to the pressure. But I won’t be shocked at anything that happens.”

Naazim Richardson was Shane Mosley’s trainer when Canelo decisioned Mosley. At the time he wasn’t impressed with Canelo. He has reassessed.

“This is unusual because Canelo is younger (27, and Golovkin is 35) but he’s more experienced professionally,” Richardson said. “He’s been on bigger stages. He’s taken on challenges, like Ersilandy Lara and Floyd Mayweather and Shane. He’s faced adversity and he’s learned. I don’t know what adversity Golovkin has faced.

“Canelo tried to take out Cotto with big shots. Against Amir Khan, he waited and maybe lost some rounds, but then he lined him for the big shot. The fight came to him. That was good to see.”

Golovkin’s supporters scoff at Khan and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and say Canelo has not met a middleweight like this. But, through no fault of his own, Golovkin has not met many accomplished boxers, not until Danny Jacobs in March, and he had to hustle to win that decision.

“Triple G has the eraser,” Richardson said. “I mean, his power is different. He only needs one shot to win. But you can’t point to anything about Triple G without mentioning his punching. Canelo is not going to just stand in front of him, and by the time Triple G gets to him, he might run into something.”

Richardson sighed.

“You know, this could turn out to be a lopsided fight,” he said.

Rudy Hernandez thinks so.

“Golovkin boxes better than people think,” the veteran L.A. trainer said. “Canelo is going to try to walk him back and do something with the uppercut, but when he takes that first jab from Golovkin he’s going to know this is very different.

“And even though Canelo has speed, I don’t think he has great power. He didn’t knock out Chavez. You look at Golovkin and his connect percentage. He really knows what he’s doing. He’ll spend three or four rounds getting comfortable. Then I think he takes Canelo apart.”

In the 12 fights before Jacobs, Golovkin landed 40.5 percent of his overall punches and 45.4 percent of his power shots. The middleweight average, courtesy of CompuBox, is 30.4 and 37.2. Then Golovkin nailed Jacobs with 48.5 percent of his power shots in what was considered an off night.

With Mayweather gone, GGG is the most accurate jabber and power puncher in boxing and averages 23 more punches per round than Canelo. But Canelo’s numbers rise markedly against fighters who come to him, and Golovkin’s punch rate has dipped in his past two fights.

The best result would be a clear outcome that nevertheless leads to more argument and, thus, another fight. That’s a tough needle to thread.

Easier to sit back and watch the slugger meet the boxer, and let Canelo and Golovkin decide which is which.

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